The Hokage Initiative
by Taijen
Summary: Desperate to assure the safety of Konoha's 'King', the Hokage Initiative is launched to mold the village's most promising prospects into Hokage candidate material! Follow their journeys from mere genin to seasoned shinobi. What awaits our heroes in a world of ruthless assassins? This is killer's world and there's no room for little kids. Major AU!
1. Hot-Blooded Rivals of the Leaf!

_**The Hokage **_**_Initiative_**

_**Disclaimer : I do not in any form own Naruto.**_

_'Thoughts/Noises/ Battle sound effects.'_

_"Reading."_

_"Jutsu."_

**_"Very loud talking."_**

"Normal dialogue."

* * *

><p>"...Begin!"<p>

The crowd stood silent yet their excitement for the exhibition hummed through the air. This was the battle everyone had dreamed of. Standing upon a raised platform that stretched into a ring-less square, a young man stood a good distance away from two boys. The dark-haired boy, known as Sasuke Uchiha, smirked at his slightly shorter opponent. Sasuke of the Uchiha clan wore a black one-piece outfit with his clan's insignia proudly displayed on his back, white bandages wrapped around his left thigh, kunai holsters on each thigh, weapons pouch, blue sandals, and his well-earned forehead protector strapped to his head.

His eyes were an absolute onyx hue that matched his unruly hair, which spiked in every direction with bangs that framed the sides of his face, and a tan that made him look to be of exotic descent. Many would argue that the boy looked like he was from Kumogakure, The Village Hidden in the Clouds, with such tan skin. If it were not for the three tomas that danced about in his blood-red eyes, one would not believe he was a true Uchiha.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Naruto-chan?" Sasuke's Sharingan glowed mischievously. In response the boy known as Naruto, grinned foxily, showcasing his sharp canines. Doing so scrunched up the whisker-like marks that marred his sun-kissed cheeks.

"Only if you don't mind looking like a chump, Sasgay." Naruto's cobalt blue eyes glinted with a similar vibe of mischief, while a passing breeze played with his long spiky crimson hair. Naruto Uzumaki of the once great Uzumaki clan wore a white sweatshirt, underneath a multi-pocketed blue vest stamped with the Uzumaki swirl on the back, black pants tucked into his blue sandals, a kunai holster on his thigh, and weapons pouch on his backside. He also sported the forehead protector of a Konohagakure shinobi, tied proudly to his forehead.

His crimson hair spiked as shocks in every direction and flowed into a smooth ponytail that reached his mid-back. Their graduating class had even already split up and formed factions for the two boys. This battle would be the accumulation of four years worth of blood, sweat, and tears. Each fighter had a bit of a rep for being the best of their generation, this would be the end of the debate and put someone in the forefront of this generation of genin. Rallied up and ready for the Rookie of the Year to be crowned, the crowd of first years through graduates cheered for their chosen champion.

...

"I don't see what the big deal is anyway!" A feral-looking boy with a white pup huffed aloud to his female companion , "I'm easily just as strong as those two idiots. Don't you think so Hinata?"

Hinata gave a small smile and patted her friend on the back, "I am sure you've made plenty of progress as well Kiba-san." Kiba nodded his head in agreement of the girl's statement. "You're damn right I have!- Wait a second you didn't say if you thought I was just as strong-"

"Shaddup Kiba!"the Inzuka was blinsided by a punch to the back of the head. "You're too damn loud in the morning," An attractive blonde girl stood over him. "Sheesh you're worse than Sakura even," the blonde female known as the Yamanaka heiress waved her fist at the boy. Sakura, a pretty civilian-born student with pink hair, punched Ino's arm.

"Hey, I'm not that loud Ino-pig."Ino mumbled a quick apology while she rubbed her arm, "But seriously pipe down fido or it's going to be you and me going at it in that ring. Got me?"

Growling in response, the boy's nails shot out and formed into claws while he bared elongated canines. "Is that a promise? 'Cause I've been waiting for an excuse to mess up that pretty little face of yours." An audible yawn drowned out all sound around them, and drew their attention. "Kami, it's the last day of class and you two are still can't get along. "

The newcomer joined the group was followed a rather plump boy, the occasional crunch of potato chips could be heard. "Oh shut up Shikamaru shouldn't you be napping somewhere?," Ino crossed her arms under her chest and glared at the boy. Shikamaru yawned silently while stretching his arms out, "I actually already did that. And it still wasn't enough to allow me deal with you two today. So please for pete's sake cool your jets you two."

"Mhmm...whatever." Kiba and Ino glared at each other one last time before backing off. Sakura released a sigh of relief, "Thank you for that Shikamaru." He nodded in response, "It's what I'm here for."

"So you guys excited for the fight today?" Hinata took the chance to break the silence, as the Hyuuga clan heiress she had no qualms toward steering the group of her peers. The assembly of academy graduates all nodded simply, while one just had to be different.

"Well I'm not too fond of it," Shikamaru scowled lightly. "This is hardly necessary to see who the better one is, I thought it would have been obvious too."

"What do you mean Shikamaru? I'm kinda lost here to be very honest." Sakura's forehead scrunched upwards in thought.

"He means this fight has no other outcome but to end as a draw." The assembly of children looked around confused, the voice seemingly boomed from nowhere yet reverberated all around them.

"Shino?" Hinata called out to the shadows of the foilage.

A boy stepped from the shadows of a tree and the cover of shrubbery. "Yes." The high-collared grey shirt he wore moved slightly where what the others could only assume was his mouth.

Although focused on his snack and not conversing the entire time, Choji was keenly aware of his peers and the conversation at hand. Choji rummaged through his bag of chips while raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Why a draw Shino?.."_*munch munch munch*_

Adjusting his dark spectacles with his pointer finger, Shino turned his attention to the hefty lad. "Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san are too stubborn to allow one another to be better than the other. Those two are likely to drag each other through hell and back before this is over."

The Aburame's prediction left the group of children either pondering his large words in confusion, in consideration, or in total shock for that was the longest sentence the mysterious clan heir had ever spoke to anyone at the Academy.

"Couldn't have said it better myself.. now shut up. The match is about to start." A small smirk tugged at the Nara's stoic face as he settled against a tree, his eyes gleamed with excitement. He considered the odds and determined that the numbers with those two were just too complex to accurately make a ca.

_'It's best to simply sit back and allow the scenario unveil itself.'_

...

Iruka Umino, instructor of the most promising graduating class of the year, switched his gaze between the two proponents for the 'Rookie of the Year' award. Based on the attentive crowd of students that awaited the contest with impressive patience, and the considerable focus the the Uchiha and Uzumaki showed, told Iruka one thing. This was about so much more than a simple title, this was about superiority, bragging rights, the end to a debated question. Who is the strongest, and who will go on to be the declared the strongest rookie genin: The last son of the Uchiha or the prince of the lost Uzumaki?

"Okay boys, I am going to make this short and sweet. This is an exhibition style sparring match, meaning that for this contest the use of jutsu is permitted as such is the use of weapons." Iruka paused for a moment to see if his statement evoked a reaction in the two, none was detected, they had a hell of a poker face.

"Victory will be declared under the conditions of undisputed KO, submission, or my judgement. Is that understood, Naruto? Sasuke?" Iruka eyed them sternly, his brown irises reflected a no-nonsense tolerance and left no room for rebellion.

"Hai!"

Naruto and Sasuke nodded rigidly, Iruka nodded grimly and almost considered calling off the match. Instead he raised his right arm up and brought it down in a quick chop, jumping back at the same time, he made the call.

"...Begin!"

Immediately, Sasuke rushed with a kunai drawn and closed the distance between them in blink of an eye. Naruto parried the blow with the sheath of a tanto. "Where the hell did you pull that from?" Enjoying the perplexed look that scribbled across the Uchiha's face for a moment, Naruto pushed forward with a prodding elbow. "My ass of course." Naruto laughed at the disgusted look that flashed across Sasuke's face. In a split second Sasuke promptly vanished, and reappeared in Naruto's left peripheral with a roundhouse kick aimed for the Uzumaki. Shifting his body as smoothly as he could, the crimson haired shinobi threw up his forearms to intercept the kick, absorbing the impact with a silent grunt, he slid across the stone tiles of the ring.

"Stings doesn't it?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow with an all-knowing smirk plastered on his face. The recipient simply ignored the attempt at goading him, while he shook his arms to rid himself of the numbness before it could settle in. Naruto rammed through a short series of hand seals, and formed a circle around his mouth, "Nah, but this will- _Suiton: Mizurappa_!" A high-pressured jet of condensed water shot from Naruto's mouth and smacked Sasuke right in the chest, the Uchiha was flung head over heels. Naruto followed up on his momentum and formed a cross composed of his index and middle fingers, _"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"_

Six doppelgangers identical in every way to Naruto popped into existence and rushed the recovering Uchiha, with hoarse battle cries. "Ahhh, here we come Sasuke!"

Sasuke set his dark gaze upon the rushing assembly of Uzumaki, and settled into a fighting stance with his kunai at hand. Closing his eyes to dull his immediate senses and concentration, he released a steady breath and welcomed his senses to tunnel vision. The dark tomas of the Sharingan spun hypnotically, a scare tactic. It caused a moment's hesitation in the clone, Sasuke jerked his head under the delayed left hook. And struck out merciless with a palm strike to the throat of said clone. Sasuke allowed his body and mind to react as one, he spun around the jab of another clone and chopped at the base of it's neck with full force, an audibly crack was heard before the _poof. _Right out of his spinning momentum he threw a leaping knee that clipped another's chin harshly.

Three down and three more upon him, Sasuke found himself assaulted with a barrage of coordinated but otherwise inferior strikes. Shoving his kunai brandishing hand into one clone's chest, kicked another one in the knee forcing the bone to collapse in on itself, and spun evasively out of a sweep kick to deliver a shattering backhand to the last clone. Sasuke leaped ahead and run through a string of hand seals, and smirked at the real Naruto.

"Enough games Naruto, spare me the decoys._ Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!_" Fireballs the size of humming birds spewed from Sasuke's mouth rained down upon the arena in a wide stream that battered the field, kicking up dust from the constant impact.

Upon landing in the screen of smoke the Uchiha graduate settled into a predatory crouch, his enhanced eyes scanned for movement. A slight whistle in the undisturbed air alerted his ears, eyes widening in realization, Sasuke leaped to the left in time to see a fuma shuriken whiz by and imbued itself into the stone tiles where he previously stood. Gradually the light began to reveal the battlefield once more, and Sasuke was welcomed to the sight of a casually relaxed Naruto.

"Hey there you are teme, almost thought you lost your nerve and ran off on me." Sasuke sneered in response, the tomas of his Sharingan twirled menacingly. "Please," Naruto blinked for just a moment, and found Sasuke's fist stretching forward to punch his face in in the next moment. "You don't stand a chance dobe." Sasuke's fist sunk into the redhead's jaw, knocking Naruto's head back with little resistance.

"What the-" Sasuke instinctively tried to pull back his fist to follow up with a combination, but his fist wouldn't budge for the life of him. His fist was stuck in Naruto's jaw. Noticing his strain the shorter boy chuckled aloud, "Confused teme, you should be I introduce to you my newest technique... _Sutikki Bushin no Jutsu."_

"Sticky clones?" Sasuke questioned the ingenuity of Naruto, the redhead managed to smirked despite having a fist implanted firmly in it. "Cool huh? Oh teme I guess that all-seeing Sharingan of yours, isn't really so all-seeing." Sasuke's followed the subtle hint and noticed the fast approaching shadow of another figure, without much thought, Sasuke clamped an iron grip over the clone's mouth and grunted due to the effort this would take.

"Maybe not but I can improvise, thanks for the tip!" Sasuke twirled on his heels and yanked the sticky clone from his place and slammed the creation into the real Naruto, sending the two crimson haired boys bounding across the stone tiles until they came to a painful rest. Sasuke tried to rid his hands of the remaining green residue that stuck to his hands, infuriated with the strength of the gross substance. _'How the did he come up with that?' T_he head on collision t with his sticky clone led to the Uzumaki being covered with multiple spots of the green substance.

"Ah now look at what you made me do, bastard." Naruto removed his blue vest, neatly folded it then tossed it outside the ring. "I really liked that one." Naruto pouted childishly. Sasuke sighed and shook his head in annoyance, he mumbled to himself. "Baka."

In only his white sweatshirt, Naruto planted his fist into his hand and cracked the knuckles loudly. "Time to kick things up a notch, hnh?" Naruto stated casually and threw his arms out to his sides with the palms facing out, instantly streams of brilliant blue chakra flowed from his arms and whipped around wildly until they took the form of thick chains with spikes adorning them. Naruto grinned when the crowd's cheers damn near tripled in volume at the sudden appearance of the chakra constructs, the look of hesitation that reflected across Sasuke's face was pure gold.

"Pretty cool huh teme?" Caught off guard the Uchiha's response was late and lacking in the usual bite, he was impressed but wouldn't admit it to that fool. Suddenly the chains began to whirl around the Naruto in a protective manner that created a harsh whistle and a slight breeze, Sasuke braced himself and stood ready.

Without warning the chains shot forth at break neck speeds toward Sasuke, thanking his lineage silently, Sasuke dived to the right and took off in a full sprint to avoid the second chain that easily shattered the stone tiles of the ring. The three tomas of Sasuke's Sharingan spun continuously as they analyzed the chakra constructs. _'Dammit, seems like those chains are made of pure chakra. Meaning that they have no physical composition for me to track. And since Naruto isn't moving his body at all, I can't determine their trajectory._ ' Sasuke threw his body into a quick one handed cart wheel and slipped past the chains before they could skewer him with their spikes.

_'That was too close. I better find a way to get in close, or he might just finish me off.'_ Laying his eyes on the forgotten fuma shurikenNaruto threw earlier, Sasuke mentally traced a path through the onslaught of chains. The Uchiha blitized forward, he spun on his heel to avoid a chain that almost got his ankle and took off. Rushing toward the other side of the arena, Sasuke jumped to his left just as one of the chains barreled down on the tiles and shattered them like child's play. The fuma shurken was launched in the air with the tile debris as a result. Not one to quit, Sasuke launched forward and ping-ponged of the air borne tile pieces until he recovered the tool. The smirk that was about to form on his face was erased when the chains came racing after him mid-air down. Sasuke tucked his shoulders in and twirled as he descended, he slipped right past the constructs. Ignoring the air that whistled harshly in his ear as he raced to the ring like a falcon in its dive, Sasuke hurled the shuriken at Naruto.

Crushing pain suddenly shot through the lone Uchiha, Sasuke made note of his halted dive. One of the chains had latched upon his ankle and constricted the muscle like a snake that caught its prey. With a simple flick of his wrist Naruto summoned his other chain to deflect the fuma shuriken, and another small movement brought the captured Uchiha to him. "Well, look who ain't so high and mighty anymore mister 'fancy' eyes." Naruto teased him as he commanded the other chain to wrap around Sasuke's abdomen and arms.

"Now that I've got you, submit. Surrender yourself or else." Naruto's vocals dropped a bit and his eyes grew chilling cold, the tightening of the chains around Sasuke's ribs was testament to his willingness to win. Despite the pressure that was building up, the Uchiha refused to show weakness.

"Never." Sasuke's bloodline limit twirled for emphasis, he withheld a grunt of pain from escaping, his pride was at stake. _'Just keep talking Naruto, just a bit longer is all I need..'_

"Don't be stubborn Sasuke, I don't want to do it. But I will if I have to." Naruto looked to Iruka and then back at Sasuke. "Either you surrender or Iruka's going to be explaining how all your bones were reduced to dust." Naruto was a bit surprised by the conviction his tone held, if he was a spectator, even he would believe that statement.

_' I won't kill the stubborn idiot. But I might break an arm to make my point, and to win this.' _Willing the chains to tighten even more around the bounded Uchiha, Sasuke's face contorted into pain as his face grew red from improper blood flow. Naruto shook his head in disappointment and hollered out to him, "Come on Sasuke, It's okay to lose...urmm sometimes I mean-"

Sasuke's body bursted into a flock of hawks that cawed and dispersed in Naruto's face before taking to the sky above the ring. The birds began to flock together and create a tight circle that steadily shrunk in diameter and lowered in altitude, until Naruto found himself surrounded by the fowls.

"Genjutsu!" Naruto cursed the branch of jutsu and summoned his chakra chains to him, he mimicked the trapping formation of the birds, and the chains rotated around him in a protective field once more. Effectively pushing the birds back and keeping them at bay. Naruto scanned the ring for any sign of his opponent, Naruto felt an immense spike in chakra. He sensed the rumbling of the stone beneath him. Thrusting his chains into the ground, Naruto shot himself into the air in a single bound. The ground beneath his feet exploded suddenly and shot forth a massive inferno that chased him into the sky, Sasuke emerged from the adjusted earth with his jutsu in tow.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

Naruto hastily reacted in time to avoid the worst of the flames, summoning his chains once more, the constructs instinctively responded and coiled over the Uzumaki in thick protective layers. Shrouding him from the fireball at the very last second, Naruto screamed inside his chain armor that didn't prevent all the heat from searing him. Crashing into the arena, once again disfiguring the Academy's sparring ring, the dust settled to show a panting and slightly burned Naruto, his chakra chains clattered lifelessly to the ground and dispersed with a deafening clang. Naruto rose to his legs shakily, and observed the disheveled state of his dark-haired opponent.

Sasuke was bit worse for wear as well, covered in dirt and small cuts that riddled his arms, legs, and clothing. He was sweaty and visibly starting to tire, but his Sharingan still burned brightly in rebellion. _'Glad I decided to work on my endurance, or Naruto would have won by now.'_ Drawing a dagger that was a bit bigger than any run of the mill kunai from his weapons pouch, Sasuke took a defensive stance with the wickedly curved blade.

"You up for some swordplay?" Sasuke flipped the blade into reverse grip and brought up his guard, simply unsheathing his tanto, Naruto ignored the question and shot forward with a primitive battle cry. Prepared when Sasuke met his sprint half way in a mere moment, Naruto's reflexes took over when he slid clear under Sasuke's swipe. Twirling on his knees Naruto turned and lunged at the Uchiha's unprotected back, only to be thrown back by a heel to his chin. Backflipping with the momentum of the kick to gain some space, Naruto threw his tanto at Sasuke. Parrying the blade and shooting forward to capture it, now dual-wielding blades, Sasuke sped toward the retreating Naruto. Pulling up the sleeves of his sweatshirt, where two identical seals resided on his wrists, the Uzumaki bit his thumbs and smeared blood on them.

"Dodge this!" Naruto threw his arms forward as over two dozen shuriken popped into existence and sailed toward Sasuke. Cursing aloud Sasuke quickly switched the blades to opposite grips and leaped forward, his Sharingan went into overtime calculating the various trajectories. _'He's gotten better with shuriken, only a third of them are off course. That leaves me with eighteen more to dodge. Easy enough.'_

"Eyes don't fail me now." Sasuke began to rotate and spin in mid-air, smacking rows of shuriken away with the rapid interval of blade swipes he completed, sparks sprayed forth with each collision, and a few shuriken actually slipped through his blade barrage. Ignoring the stinging sensations Sasuke parried the last set with a vertical slash from Naruto's tanto, and deflected some with his dagger. The Uchiha smirked to himself as the crowd reacted to his graceful dance in the midst of the deadly projectiles. Right back in action, Sasuke formed a chain of hand seals as he descended upon his opponent. Sasuke quirked a cheeky grin at the Uzumaki's scowl.

"_Katon:__ Hibashiri!"_ Tracing a circle in the air with his blades, sparks followed Sasuke's movements and the air before him ignited into a ring of fire. Which shot forth and expanded as it splashed upon the arena, surrounding Naruto in an unsavory inferno in only a few seconds. Landing in a crouch, Sasuke stood before Naruto in the burning ring of fire, breathing a bit more heavily than earlier.

"I think you have something that belongs to me," Naruto eyed his tanto that Sasuke wielded rather proficiently, '_Damn you Sasuke, making everything seem so easy.'_ Sasuke smirked and shook his head in disagreement, "Oh really? Come and take it then Naruto-chan."

In an instant Naruto was upon Sasuke once more, throwing wild kicks and jabs, trying to lead the Uchiha into the flames. Sasuke caught on and forced Naruto back on the defense when he began to slash and stab at the Uzumaki with little regard for safety. Swift shuffling on his feet and straining his neck allowed Naruto to slide away from the blades, until Naruto finally vaulted away in a corkscrew flip. In midair he ran through a quick series of hand seals, thrusting out his palms in a cupped fashion he hollered. _"Fūton: _Reppūshō_!"_

Caught off guard Sasuke gasped as his movements were forcibly suppressed, then tossed through the air by an immense burst of wind. The resulting air pressure banished the ring of flames and left the spectators in awe at the raw power of the last Uzumaki. Bouncing off the stone tiles until he righted himself into a rolling crouch, Sasuke unconsciously felt his ribs and hissed at the touch, he was injured. Naruto dropped to a single knee to catch his breath. _'That technique worked just as well as I hoped, but using ___Reppūshō___ plus the chakra chains for so long was harder than I thought it would be.'_

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was still conscious and very much still bearing that infernal dojutsu of his _. 'Damn, teme's still as strong as ever, I'm starting to run low on chakra. I got to make this next move count.'_ Naruto gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet, despite the burning pain that flashed through his body at the moment. Unknown to him, Sasuke was in the same boat. Standing to his full height Sasuke addressed Naruto from his place on the other side of the ring, "Hey! Naruto this fight has gone on long enough don't you think?"

Naruto seemed taken back by the nonchalant nature of the statement but agreed nonetheless, "Yeah it has. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Sasuke nodded and offered a true smile that quickly turned chillingly sinister, "Finishing this brawl, so we can all go home." Naruto nodded in agreement and smiled an equally unnerving but fox-like grin, "Of course bastard."

Sasuke nodded in understanding before he broke off into a long chain of hand seals, while Naruto's chakra spiked immensely once more and the very winds seemed to gather around him to support his next jutsu. Sasuke's cheeks swelled up with intense heat that threatened to burn his mouth, but he remained calm and spat a ball of pure _white fire_ into his hand. Resisting the instinctive urge to flail his arms in panic, Sasuke remembered his training and focused on manipulating the chakra, and in just a instant the white flames expanded and raced up his entire arm.

Naruto inhaled heavily and exhaled as his technique was nearing peak strength, hands together, his formation reminiscent of praying. Opening his eyes he watched Sasuke tame the white-hot flames that engulfed his entire right arm, yet the boy seemed more concentrated and not fearful or in pain. Flexing his fingers experimentally Sasuke watched in silent awe at his progress, this technique had taken him some time to even get to this _stage_.

Sasuke turned his now dark eyes upon Naruto, fully intent on rushing into this with blind faith, he could no longer handle the drain of the Sharingan. Both boys meet each others gaze evenly, equal in everyway. There was no arrogance, no inferiority or superiority in their eyes, just mutual respect and a bit of admiration for one another's skills. Wordlessly Sasuke took off in a full-blown sprint, his speed fooling the eyes of the slower folk with fiery afterimages. Naruto shoved his right palm behind him silently and the _Reppūshō_ hurled him forward at break neck speeds, matching the Uchiha's hasty approach for the first time.

Raising their respective jutsu, the Uchiha and Uzumaki shared an excited smile despite their predicament just inches from impact. Driving their ninjutsu brandishing hands forward without hesitation, they clashed.

_'No matter what Naruto/Sasuke I respect you.'_

_"Fūton: _Kami Oroshi!_"_

_"Katon: Hōōken!"_

_Boom_...Instantly a brilliant beam of light overtook the two boys and blinded all within the immediate vicinity, a deafening explosion followed right after that sent tremors throughout the Academy grounds. Incinerating the stone and earth that made up the arena, a massive dust cloud washed over the entire area and left many graduates panicking in reaction to the sudden explosion of elements. When the dust cleared and Iruka was able to gather and calm his students, all eyes instinctively went to the demolished ring in search of a victor. None could voice their thoughts as they were astonished by the result of a battle between the best of their class, factions scrambled to the separate craters that the fighters unwillingly resided in.

The whole time Iruka stood there, petrified with guilt and fear for his indecisiveness, if only he had intruded just a bit earlier. Instead he found himself just as sucked into the hype of the battle as his own students, and for this Iruka felt ashamed. Shaking his head vigorously he grimaced and schooled his features to the greatest expression of seriousness he could muster, _'Now is not the time for such thoughts, my students need me.'_

...

The Hokage sat quietly as he absorbed the events that his treasured crystal ball had allowed him to view from afar. "Well that escalated fairly quick." The thought of such hot-blooded youth brought a smile to the kage's features as he mused over his past.

"Hokage-sama, those were the two you were referring to?" A man dressed in casual black shinobi pants and shirt inquired from behind the cover of an orange novel.

"Indeed Kakashi-kun, those are the two. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." Kakashi Hatake raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the names of the two rookie genin, "Uzumaki huh? I haven't heard that name since Kushina-san was still alive, is he her-"

"Hai. Naruto is Kushina's son, he acts just like her you know." The Hokage smiled warmly at the thought of the deceased woman, her smile could light up any person's day.

"And the other boy is the last surviving Uchiha. How does his brain check out, is the kid sane at all anymore?" The kage nodded in understanding of the anbu operative's question, and his smile fell into a grimace.

"More or less, his therapist reports that Sasuke has made considerable progress in the last two years and seems to be letting go of his anger. But still it is clear that the boy plans to find his _father_." Kakashi understood the kind of damage losing your entire family at such a young age could do to a child, and didn't put it past the boy to be a bit on the disturbed side. They all were a bit disturbed in their profession.

"Well that sounds promising. Based on his performance, I would say that in a few years he'll rise through the ranks quickly." Kakashi giggled quietly and turned yet another page of his beloved literature. "The same can be said for the Uzumaki, I remember hearing tales of the mighty clan of sealmasters."

"Good to know that you agree, because you will be taking them on as your students." The Hokage smiled in amusement as he noticed Kakashi's lone eye widen in shock, he swiftly pocketed his romance novel in a show of seriousness.

"Students? Hokage-sama, with all due respect I cannot take on those two... it is true that they show promise. But I'm not fit to teach anyone. Not to mention the organization needs my strength and experience more than a pair of genin. I-"

"Silence Kakashi." The man whispered harshly while overwhelming chakra flooded the room, the tile floors cracked and the walls splintered under the pressure. The Hokage's killing intent raged on quietly like the foreboding of a storm and promptly made the famed Kakashi of the Sharingan silence himself.

Satisfied that the he regained the shinobi's respect and attention, the Hokage cleared his throat casually. "As I was saying Kakashi-kun, you _will_ take Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha on as your students. That is not up for discussion." The Hokage narrowed his eyes dangerously at the elite shinobi that served him, "But before you interrupted me I was going to tell you that you will stay with the Anbu Black ops, but will have your load cut back some. The village still needs your abilities to protect it from the shadows, but I will also need your assistance for an important project."

"Project?" Kakashi found the peace of mind to speak once more in his reserved tone, and inquired. The older shinobi nodded and tossed a file on his desk, scattering an array of papers upon it. Casting his trained eyes over the the entirety of all the documents in a few seconds, one caught Kakashi's attention in particular and he read the title aloud to himself.

"The Hokage Initiative." Kakashi allowed the words to flow smoothly mouth from his voice, despite his lack of information of the project. "What is this Hokage-sama?"

"The Hokage Initiative, a.k.a. Team Hokage, is a project that was created during the last days of the Third Shinobi War by the joint effort of Danzo and myself." Pausing to allow Kakashi to take in the information, he was pleased to see no visible reaction from the news. "Prior to the Iwa's surrender, he approached me inquiring of how would I continue to protect this village as the world evolved. Kumo, Iwa, Suna, Kiri, Kusa, Ame. All would remain threats to the national security of the Fire Country and Konohagakure. Inspired by the generations of shinobi that allowed our village to survive three shinobi wars." The Hokage stood and looked out upon his village as Kakashi scanned the documents while listening intently as well.

"I decided that I must follow in the footsteps of my predecessors. The Shodai and Nidaime trained the Sandaime along with the village's current councilors to be a force during the very first war, and down the line the Sandaime trained the Legendary Sannin. They along with your father, Konoha's White Fang, played crucial roles in Konoha winning the second shinobi war. So I have decided to follow in their footsteps, and train my own group on genin...to create something greater." Kakashi's lone eye shot to his former sensei and commander-in-chief, Minato Namikaze.

At the age of 37, the blond shinobi still carried every bit of charm and intelligence that he held in his younger days, heck if not more than ever. His blond locks had grown incredibly shaggy and sprawled down to the mid of his back, with bangs that draped over his shoulders and covered his forehead. His tan skin seemed to glow even more radiant than before as well, the epitome of health and life. The Yellow Flash of Konoha, wore his typical emblazoned cloak and casual blue shinobi attire underneath.

"Kakashi I must admit something to you, something I should have told you years ago," The older shinobi turned his vermilion slit eyes upon Kakashi with shame. "I am dying Kakashi."

Kakashi's initial reaction was more professional than what Minato had anticipated it from being, he hid a nostalgic smile to himself, Kakashi was always shrewd like that. "How?"

"The Kyuubi." Kakashi's eyes narrowed involuntarily at the mention of the accursed demon, "The night it attacked and the Sandaime assisted me in sealing half the beast's chakra into myself. I believed that the advanced nature of the_ Hakke no Fūin Shiki_, would allow me to handle the strain of the fox's demonic chakra." Permanently altered vermilion eyes were a testament to his status as the village jinchuriki, Minato smiled sadly.

"I was wrong." Turning back toward the window as Kakashi tried to absorb all the information properly, Minato continued to explain. "The Kyuubi's chakra has eaten at my health for the past twelve years, and has left me with a shortened life span. It is estimated that I will die in eight years. The funny thing is one would never know from the youthful appearance the fox gives me, that I was dying." The blond chuckled dryly at the irony.

Kakashi struggled to bury the personal feelings that made him want to jump over the desk and beat the living crap out of his sensei for hiding such a secret from his sole surviving student. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have found a way to fix this, we could track Tsunade-san down and bring her back to cure you." Kakashi argued sternly yet without raising his voice to his sensei.

Minato disregarded the comment with a dismissive wave of his hand, "The more people who knew, the more complicated things would become. I am content with dying suddenly and leaving the village with a Godaime Hokage to replace me." Minato peered out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha, a small smile tugged at his lips.

Kakashi's sharingan flashed involuntarily, "But I'm not."

"I am sorry Kakashi for not telling you, but I had to protect you from being hurt more. I didn't want you to feel like you were losing everyone back to back. Besides Kakashi-kun, Jiraiya-sama has been tracking that woman for years now and has come up short. I do not have time to wait around and hope that she finds the heart to return to Konoha and _attempt_ to cure me." Minato stated rather offhandedly, "I am beyond saving now, my only hope is to see this project through to the end."

Gathering up the documents that detailed the plans and timeline that followed the eight-year deadline the Yondaime Hokage had to live, the Hokage shared the project's objective. "In the end one of those boys, Naruto Uzumaki or Sasuke Uchiha, will become my successor for the position of Hokage and as jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Showing off that speed that the Yondaime was infamous for, Kakashi found the blond Hokage before him in an instant, a comforting hand on his shoulder and the fatherly smile that he used often when they were still Team Minato. He genuinely asked this time. "Will you, Kakashi, help an old man fulfill his dying wish?"

Offering one of his reputed eye-smiles, Kakashi nodded. "Hai, sensei."

* * *

><p><em>Sup guys it's Taijen and I'm back again! Yeah! It feels good to get this idea out of my head, I've been struggling to gather inspiration to finish my other Naruto fanfictions. I have hit a huge case of writer's block on chapter six of 'Turn of Events: Reloaded', while I honestly haven't put much thought into chapter four of 'A Few Steps Back'. But I kind of feel like this has allowed me to release some creative juices, so tell me what you guys think. This story can go either way, one-shot or epic length fic. Anyone hope you guys review and check out my other fics if you're not familiar with me.<em>

_Edited: 12/14/15_

_Character Stats:_

_Minato Namikaze- Ninjutsu: 5 /Taijutsu: 5 / Genjutsu: 3.5 / Speed:5 / Strength:3.5 / Intelligence: 5 / Stamina:5 / Hand Seals:5 / Total : 37.5_

_Naruto Uzumaki- _Ninjutsu: 3.5 /Taijutsu: 2 / Genjutsu: 1 / Speed: 2 / Strength: 2.5 / Intelligence: 2 / Stamina: 3.5 / Hand Seals: 3.5 / Total : 20__

__Sasuke Uchiha- __Ninjutsu: 3 /Taijutsu: 3 / Genjutsu: 1 / Speed: 2.5 / Strength: 3 / Intelligence: 2 / Stamina: 2.5 / Hand Seals: 3 / Total 20____

_Vault of Jutsu:_

____(_Sutikki Bushin no Jutsu)- Sticky Clone Jutsu. Ninjutsu, C-rank, Supplementary. A jutsu derived from the Second Hokage's original technique, similar to normal shadow clones minus the memory and exp. sharing, but can be used as traps and decoys for opponents._____

_____(_Katon: Hōōken)- Fire Release: Phoenix Fist. Ninjutsu, C-rank, Supplementary, Short range. An original technique created by Sasuke Uchiha, wielding white-hot flames the user attacks with the mystical flames of the ancient phoenix. The nature of the jutsu's variation is limited at the moment, and the ability to be used by others is unknown as well.______


	2. The Healthy Rivalry!

_**The Hokage **_**_Initiative_**

_**Disclaimer : I do not in any form own Naruto.**_

_'Thoughts.'_

_"Reading."_

_"Jutsu."_

_Character muse_

**_"Very loud talking."_**

"Normal dialogue."

* * *

><p>"It burns!" Naruto thrashed wildy trying to fight the chunin tasked to restrain him. A chunin yelled to a bumbling nurse, "Summon Doctor Tanoshī! We have the patient , use it now!" Naruto's entire left arm was held down by two young chunin, while others ganged up on his other limbs to properly strap the unruly Uzumaki to the hospital bed.<p>

"Gawwhhh!" Naruto bellowed and flexed his tired muscles to break through his oppressors, suddenly a nurse found the courage to plunge a syringe into his bicep. Instantly the serum took effect and a sickly sensation formed in the pit of his stomach and exploded through his veins. He felt weak, so weak in fact that he felt disgusted with himself. His vision grew blurry as a white and green blob strolled into his room, the blob began to focus and grow hazy until his 20/20 vision returned full force along with his other senses though he remained drained. A tall man stood before him.

Easily being the tallest person in the room, Naruto gave him a quick look-over. Short and tidy black hair, nearly golden-colored eyes, rectangular-framed glasses, and a bit pale. Draped in the typical white coat of doctors and mint-green scrubs, the young man offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the trouble Uzumaki-san but you refused to let us treat your wounds."

Mumbling something incoherent, Naruto buried his face into his pillow to avoid the various gazes placed on him. Noticing his discomfort the doctor ushered the hospital-regulated squad of chunin out the door. "Thank you gentleman very much for your services. We can handle things from here."

Closing the door with a soft click, the doctor leaned against the door and released a relieved sigh. "Again my apologies Uzumaki-san. My name is Tanoshī Chiyu, you may call me Dr. Chiyu, Chiyu-san, Tanoshī-san, or-" Right before the mild-mannered doctor could go on, the nurse from earlier politely intervened.

"Dr. Chiyu, patient Naruto Uzumaki is to receive some R&R." A look of disbelief crossed the young adult's face, wordlessly he picked up the clipboard that was beside Naruto's bed and whipped his gaze from patient to data.

Resting his fist under his chin pensively Dr. Chiyu squinted his eyes in contemplation, "Strange. This data shows that just four hours and thirty minutes ago, our patient here, was admitted into the Medical Center with a few serve burn marks, bruises from concussive force, shallow cuts and gashes, chakra depletion, and mental exhaustion." The doctor continued to flip through the records, he even examined a few x-rays of broken bones.

"Yet this very same patient, Naruto Uzumkai, shows no signs of fatigue, combat damage, or exhaustion." Turning his calculating eyes upon the bed-ridden teen, he noticed the small smirk that tugged at the redhead's face, "This is either a miracle of science, or the work of a bloodline limit."

"Doc, tell me have you every heard of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure?" The doctor furrowed his brows in concentration and folded his arms over his chest, but finally settled by nodding his head negatively.

"Nope, I do not recall every hearing of such a group." The doctor took a seat beside the bed, "I assume you are one of them."

Naruto offered a fox-like grin that disturbed the stationary nurse, "Oh I would be willing to tell you more, but my wrists are already chaffing from the tightness of these straps. Think you could do something about that?

"Nurse, if you will." Wordlessly the dark-haired woman went to work on the straps, and had Naruto rubbing his wrists in mere seconds. Nodding a quick thank you, the boy sat up and stretched his arms until they released a strained pop.

"Ahh, that's the stuff." Naruto rotated his arms experimentally, and massaged his shoulder. "Now doc, to answer your question I am the last known Uzumaki of the head family. I was told that my people were sprinkled throughout the lands, but I am the sole heir of my clan. At least as far as we know."

Doctor Chiyu squinted his eyes in a studious manner and inquired, "So the Uzumaki were known for having advanced regenerative factors? Or is it a form of enhanced durability? Possibly a lack of pain receptors?"

Naruto squinted his eyes rather moronically in thought, and rubbed his bald chin. "Well doc, I don't know about all that other stuff. But Uncle Minato told me my people lived very long lives, ehh what was the word again- longitude, latitude?"

"Longevity?" Doctor Chiyu offered. Instantly his eyes blazed with excitement and a massive grin split across his face, he snapped his fingers in realization. "That's the word. Apparently my people had very strong 'life forces' that supposedly was a gift from nature."

The doctor rose from his seat and paced around the room in thought, "Natural gifts like abnormal regeneration, above average pain tolerance, strong chakra, extended life spans, and so on."

"Correct-amundo." Naruto settled back on the pillow with his hands rested behind his head. Grabbing the clipboard and hugging it to his chest the doctor set his calculative eyes upon Naruto once more, "Such an interesting lineage you come from Uzumaki-san. And here I thought Uchiha-san was the village's only rare specimen."

Turning on his heels to head out the young doctor, spoke quickly. "Nurse please undo the rest of the patient's restraints, and finish any procedures that must be followed. He is at an impressive state as is, I see no point in wasting his time here."

At this the redhead could not help but smile, "Take care Naruto. I don't want to have to see you here again too soon."

Naruto offered a thankful smile, "I hear ya Chiyu-san, I'll try to stay away from this place."

"Good day Uzumaki-san." With a soft click of the door, Tanoshī Chiyu made his exit.

...

(Thirty Minutes Later)

Leaning against the railing that lined the flight of stairs at the Konoha Medical Center entrance, Sasuke Uchiha clad in a white shirt and black shorts plus a few bandages, waited for a certain loud-mouth squirt. "Free at last!"

Cringing at the boisterous cry, Sasuke turned a death-glare upon the renewed Naruto Uzumaki. "Sup teme, didn't know you were waiting around for me." Naruto dressed in a sleeveless blue shirt with tan cargo shorts, the Uzumaki looked rather primal with his shock of hair loose and wild. His crimson locks spewed across and reached his mid-back.

"Hn. Don't falter yourself." Sasuke smirked while his pal retaliated with a punch to his arm, still recovering himself, Sasuke held his hiss of pain. The Uzumaki was getting stronger with each day. Looking toward the sky, Sasuke noted the sun was nearly set and the sky was painted beautiful with the purple, orange, red, and yellow that colored the evening view. Sasuke sighed tiredly. "I never want to spend that much time in a hospital again."

In response his redhead companion snorted, "Hm! You think you had it bad, try being held down while the nurse smears a burning cream over your wounds! Talk about unusual treatment. If it wasn't for Chiyu-san, who knows-"

"Chiyu? He was in your room too?" Sasuke cut him off and inquired hastily. Quirking a single red eyebrow, Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, is that a big deal or something?" Sasuke bit his lip in frustration and shook his head in thought.

"I don't know, it's just the vibe that guy gives off... it's strange...almost predatory? You know?" Sasuke looked to find Naruto picking his ear while staring off at the road ahead. "You're not even listening are you?"

"Eh? Oh predatory? Right, and that means?" Naruto asked.

"Just forget it," Sasuke waved his hand dismissively. Almost on cue a grotesque rumbling reverberated through Naruto's stomach. Face scrunched up in agony and cradling his stomach Naruto moaned in the middle of the street,"Gawhh! I'm so hungry, gotta get to Ichiraku's. "

Maintaining his leisure pace ,hands stuffed in pockets, Sasuke left the redhead behind. "Hn. That sounds like a Naruto problem, not a Sasuke one."

Mumbling a curse word that would earn him a good slap from Iruka-sensei, Naruto called Sasuke out. "Hey bastard, you owe me a meal. I won the match!"

Ignoring the pedestrians walking the streets, or rather they ignored him, Naruto boldly continued. "Winner earns bragging rights, and the others respect! Remember?! So show me some respect and buy me ramen." Naruto grinned foxily.

At this point Sasuke had frozen in his tracks, snapping his head back he flashed a crimson glare. "You know very well that the match was a tie. If anyone could be recognized as the winner, it would be me." Sasuke glided right up to Naruto in a heartbeat, and scowled down at him. He liked to use his height over the Uzumaki in obvious manners, it pissed Naruto off to no end.

Naruto suddenly got to Sasuke's height via standing on his toes, the two exchanged rather serious gazes in a silent test of wills. "I say we settle this with the usual method," Naruto stated off-handily in hope of eliciting a humorous reaction from the raven. Not happening.

With a minimal commitable shrug, "Fine with me."

Against his better judgement Sasuke agreed to their little contest, he knew how dangerous and idiotic it would be in public, but he could care less when it came to proving his point. "You call it."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Naruto looked up for inspiration until it hit him, snapping his fingers in realization he smirked smugly. "Alright since we're surrounded and will have causalities, let's make it a water fight. Suiton ninjutsu!"

"Agreeable, but I decide which jutsu we use," The Uchiha demanded, "and I choose...Teppōdama."

"Alright then, let's not waste anytime. Right to it then!" Despite both boys supposedly being exhausted, they leaped backed from one another while forming the tiger seal. "_Suiton: Teppōdama!_" Expanding their diaphragms and building up chakra in their chest, Naruto and Sasuke spat condensed water bullets the size of baseballs at each other.

The result was a shower of water so great, that the downpour resembled a roaring waterfall bearing down suddenly. Hunched over and violently coughing up water, Naruto felt his head ringing from the collision. "Crap did I take a hit to the head?"

"Yes." Sasuke answered from a few feet away where he laid completely on his back, an entire hole in the front of his soaked shirt which showcased bruised skin.

"Well I'm glad to see you two are getting along swimmingly." A jovial yet refined voice filled the area, Naruto craned his neck to find a silhouette bathed in sunlight tower over him.

Minato Namikaze, the fourth, stood before the genin, an all-knowing smirk adorning his face. Taking note of their surroundings, Naruto was almost surprised to find that they were on the roof of the Hokage Tower. Though it was hard to be surprised when Sasuke and himself were often _misplaced_ through space and time when they caused too much ruckus. "You two have been at it a bit more than usual huh?"

Exchanging glances, Naruto and Sasuke shakily rose to their feet. Pointing a finger and using a tone that was somehow serious, childish, and accusatory, Naruto complained, "It was teme's fault, he refused to buy me ramen."

Sasuke huffed while crossing his arms across his chest, "I don't owe you anything...because you didn't win. Simple."

"Yes I did! You're just mad because I embarrassed you in our match! Get use to it Sasuke, I'm better than you." Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously to match Sasuke's burning Sharingan glare. "Hn. Says the guy who got tossed around the ring most of the match."

"Gawh! That's it-" Naruto lunged at Sasuke in reminiscent of a furious predator. Though his punch was halted by a much bigger, stronger, better trained hand.

"Alright boys cool your jets. I admire that fighting spirit, but try putting a cap on that." Minato smiled kindly while flashing a minuscule bit of his chakra, both genin promptly froze in place and noticeably calmed down.

A bit shaken up from the display of raw power, Naruto stood beside Sasuke while mumbling something about _intense chakra_. Minato offered a calm smile that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, "I've seen what you boys can do when caught up in the hype of your battle and honestly I am impressed."

"It's only once in a generation does a genius, or a pair such as yourselves, unveil themselves. More than often they become essential to their era of shinobi. Shinobi like The Shodai Hokage, Madara Uchiha, Sasuke Sarutobi, the Nidaime, the Sandaime, Sakumo Hatake, The Legendary Sannin, Kakashi Hatake, and so on. Men and women who made this village one of the greatest shinobi villages the nations have ever witnessed, shinobi who preserved peace and carried on the 'Will of Fire'."

Minato spoke without hesitation, not a single word required thought, they simply flowed with understanding. Which was reflected through the excited glimmer in their eyes, coughing into his hand lightly, he continued.

"My point and purpose for collecting you two is to offer the chance to have your potential tapped and completely released, the opportunity to serve your village by becoming all that you can be and more." Naruto at this point was bubbling with excitement as his grin grew larger and he bounced on the balls of his feet in place. Sasuke was a bit more reserved but showed off a small smile with eyes full of curiousity.

"I extend to you Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha the invitation to join The Hokage Initiative." Naruto jumped for joy and gave a quick 'hell yeah' before settling down and offering a questioning gaze.

"Hokage Initiative? I've never heard of that before, it is like a super-secret group of kick-ass shinobi who go on amazing adventures and rescue princesses and learn awesome jutsu and-"

Clamping a hand over the redhead's mouth, Sasuke ignored the muffled 'hey!' and nodded for the Hokage to continue. Smirking at their antics the older blond male went on, "Well what you said is a bit of an exaggeration, but the Hokage Initiative is somewhat like that. It's a program that I along with a senior adviser created ages ago as a precaution to the event of my unexpected demise. As Hokage my life is eternally is danger in relation to my status as Konoha's champion, my public appearance is essential to the security of the village in domestic and foreign affairs."

Sasuke nodded in understanding while Naruto seemed lost, "Wait so you're saying that you picked two fresh genin to replace you as Hokage if you were to die." Though Naruto's words were a bit simple in terms of vocab, his musing was still absolutely correct. Sasuke nodded and spoke up in response.

"Though I am sure we are missing something here, that sounds pretty much like what you're saying. You want one of us to be your successor, right?" Sasuke's face remained stony while his voice stayed even, completely contrasting his gleeful eyes.

"Yes and no. The program is mostly a precaution to safeguard the village if there was ever a threat too great for myself to handle, if I were to fail I would want there to be shinobi whose strength and knowledge would be a match for my own. Not an assured successor for the position of Hokage but a possibility if necessary. Is this making any sense?" Minato placed his hands behind his head and sighed.

Naruto scratched the back of his head while looking toward the sky, "While not really-" Seeing the annoyed look that scribbled across Minato's and Sasuke's faces, he grinned troublesomely. "Just kidding, chill. Good to know everybody has a sense of humor."

"So when do we start this program Hokage-sama?," Sasuke pushed past Naruto and stepped up to the tall man, easily reminded of just how much bigger this man was than him in ever way considered.

"You'll be contacted. For now attend your last day and await instructions. Understood?" Minato fixed the boys with a hard gaze, before cracking a mischievous smile and walking off. "Just kidding, come on boys you could really use a sense of humor. Stay out of trouble boys.."

A harsh wind blew in from the north and nearly knocked the two genin off their feet, in a burst of leafs the Fourth Hokage disappeared. Looking up from behind his arms Naruto say a few leaves dance in the wind still, "Cool!"

Noticing that his companion was missing, he found Sasuke was already making his way down the ramp.

"Hey Sasuke we are not finished here!"

...

(Elsewhere)

"Why are you two following us?" Shikamaru Nara found himself questioning the two kunoichi, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, in annoyance. He seemed to be the only one bothered by their presence since his plump pal wordlessly dug into a bag of chips as they strolled the streets of the Konoha Market District.

Ino retaliated with the immature gesture of sticking out of her tongue, "Nobody's here for you Baka-maru, I'm just being tactical and heading to my Naru-chan's favorite restaurant. He's sure to be there after recovering from his match."

Eyeing the blonde that he has known since he was just a lad, Shikamaru quirks an eyebrow skeptically. "How did you know Naruto is already out of the hospital?"

Catching her mistake, Ino sports a bustling pink blush, "Umm I hear things.." Shikamaru shakes his head and shrugs off the topic, trying to enjoy the cool air that has been rare on this warm summer day. "Oh there's Naruto-kun!" Ino blows right through Shikamaru, followed by an equally excited Sakura, knocking the Nara off-balance. Rather smoothly Choji grabs his best friend with little effort and rights him mid-fall, while never taking his other hand from his snacks.

"Sheesh, and these girls are supposed to be the next generation of kunoichi."

"Narutoooo!" Ino waves excitedly while racing toward her favorite redhead in the whole world, which Naruto manages to ignore in his attempt to persuade a stubborn raven.

"One bowl?" Naruto threw up his right pointer finger as representation, though Sasuke stared back through uncaring eyes.

"No."

"Ok how about we go half on one bowl?" Taking a bit more time to consider, Sasuke shook his head left to right.

"Still no."

"There is no compromising with you, is there?"

"Nope. Uchiha don't compromise, we only take." Sasuke smirked in that oh-so-arrogant way. When a sudden blur of blonde and purple had attached itself to Naruto's back, putting two and two together a bit late, Sasuke found his arm occupied by a rather starry-eyed Sakura Haruno.

"Oh Naru-chan, are you okay?! I was sooo worried about you during that match!" Ino hugged the dear life out of the resident Uzumkai while Sasuke looked on in amusement. All to soon his so-called 'fan-girl' began to invade his personal space.

"And you Sasuke-kun, are you feeling alright so soon? You know I've studied up on medical ninjutsu and can provide extra treatments if you need them." Sakura batted her long eyelashes while her brilliant gem-stone eyes twinkled at thought of her nursing Sasuke back to health. Though Sasuke was honestly a bit intrigued to hear the brainiac civilian turned genin taking up some other ninja arts, he almost considered giving her a chance to heal him some more, her immediate actions turned him off that idea.

Gently pushing the girl away from him, he smiled lightly, an attempt to be polite as his mother had drilled into his skull. He just hear her scolding him now, _You must always be courteous to a girl who admires you, it is unbefitting of a young man to be so rude!_

"I think I will be alright Sakura-chan, maybe another time then. Besides 'Akage'_**(1)**_ here couldn't do much to keep me down for long." Sasuke spoke loudly and smirked with a bit of bravado in his tone to piss off Naruto. To which Naruto seethed in restrained annoyance, while Sakura gushed admiringly at his charming nature.

"Speaking of which, the fact that you two are up walking around and still at each others throats after the stunts you two pulled in that arena," Shikamaru approached the small group with Choji waving enthusiastically from behind, "shows that there is something seriously off about you two."

...

(Ten minutes- Ichiraku's Ramen Shop)

"Thanks again Ino-chan for the ramen!" Naruto beamed happily from behind another bowl of miso ramen he downed in no time, patting his stomach in glee. A response that was replicated by an equally joyfully Choji who was working on his third bowl of beef and pork ramen, Sasuke's thanks was nothing more than a silent grunt, and Shikamaru remained silent as he watched the two heavy eater dig in with no restraint.

"It's no problem boys, consider it a gift from the precious Yamanaka heiress. I am feeling rather generous today." The blonde girl waved her hands about in grandeur and winked playfully at the Uzumaki. Shikamaru and Sasuke snorted in unexpected unison at the blonde's egoistic manners. An attempt at flirting that was lost on the Uzumaki who could be dense at times, especially when ramen was placed in front of him. Nothing else mattered when his precious was within his grasp, yes nothing mattered.

Being the only conscious male thinker who bothered to talk, Sasuke looked to the girls who dined with them and popped the simple question. "So you two aren't going to eat?"

Sakura and Ino looked to each other as if they were going to find the answer in each other, "I want to slim down some more to keep a fit physique, don't want to get pudgy." Sakura tucked some hair behind her ear nervously as she answered.

"Same here my clan training requires me to keep up a perfect figure, so no crap like this for me." Ino declared with a lot more confidence than Sakura had.

Slamming another bowl down on the counter, Naruto grinned blissfully, "Screw that! Another bowl please!"

"Coming right up Naruto!" A young teenage girl named Ayame smiled down at him while switching out bowls. Ayame is a slender girl with long, brown hair and eyes, plus fair skin. She wears a white robe with the sleeves folded, a sort of dark blue apron with ribbon ties at the top and a bright white bandanna. Choji also piped in and gratefully gave his gratitude. "Thanks Ayame-chan. Give my regards to your father."

"Will do!... So I here you had a big day today Naruto," Ayame leaned over the counter and propped her chin up with her fist, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Swallowing a river of noodles coated in delicious broth, Naruto slurped loudly, and nodded. "Yep, where did you hear that from?" Naruto eyed the waitress.

"Word travels faster than a _Shunshin_ this village, Naruto-kun. I heard you got into a big ninja battle with one of your classmates and ended up in the hospital for a few hours." Ayame seemed to get more excited as she spoke.

"Five." Sasuke spoke suddenly, an emphasis on the phrase, "We were in the hospital for five hours Ayame-san. It was tedious."

Realization struck the civilian teenager like a kunai, she pointed in mild accusation and surprise. "It was you, now that I think about it! The great battle between the Uchiha and Uzumaki that rattled the village."

Naruto grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head, an act of bashfulness, "Oh it wasn't that great, was it?"

Ayame smiled at his antics, "But of course it was everybody knows about it! Heck everybody saw that giant mushroom cloud that suddenly reached into the sky from the direction of the Academy. What exactly happened?"

Naruto temporally lost interest in his meal and jumped at the chance to retell the fight, "I got this Ayame-chan it all goes like this...I came, I saw, and I kicked Sasuke's ass!"

Earning a mixture of cheers, groans, protests, and threats. Sasuke glared heatedly at his rival/companion, "Please ignore the delusional squirt, he has no recollection of the events since I rattled his brain the whole time with my fists." An insulted Naruto yelled 'hey!' from behind a wave of noodles rushing into his mouth.

"If I someone going to tell the story, it should be Shikamaru here-" Sasuke pointed to the Nara who managed to stay out of the group antics for quite sometime and silently cursed that damn Uchiha when all eyes fell on him.

"Why that lazy bum? I bet he slept through the entire thing!" Ino felt a bit insulted that she was not considered. Sakura for once being the voice of reason placed a calming hand on her friend, "Now now Ino there's no need for harsh names." To which Ino mumbled something under her breath about _lazy ass Naras_.

"Sasuke's right, Shika has an eye for analysis and stuff like that. Plus he watched the _entire_ fight," Choji finished his bowl and placed it on the counter, releasing a content sigh. "He never even blinked."

"Come on Shika tell Ayame-chan about the fight, we're dying to know how awesome I was." Naruto casually slapped the Nara on the back while a fox-like grin was etched into his face, and his interest in the ramen returned full-force.

"Alright!" Shikamaru cleared his voice rather loudly to silence the others, "If I'm going to tell it, you guys need to be patient and let me tell it how I saw it."

Relieved to receive a unanimous silence in response, Shikamaru retraced his memories and let his words flow...

* * *

><p><em>Hey people of the internet it is Taijen once again, after many months of waiting, I have finally updated this wonderful piece of Naruto fanfiction. I hope this chapter satisfied any reader's needs, sorry that this chapter was a bit of a filler, things will begin to pick up again in chapter three. This was more of a transition into their world and cast of characters. Of course I will do the very best that I can to update any one of my fics ASAP! Anyway please leave me your thoughts on this chapter in a review or PM.<em>

_Vault of Jutsu:_

__(Suiton: Teppōdama)- Water Release: Gunshot. Ninjutsu, C-Rank, Supplementary, All Range. The user kneads chakra, and converts it into water, and then spits it out in the form of condensed balls. The high-speed water ball attack possesses just as much power to kill as an actual gunshot. While this is a water release technique, it can still be employed someplace where no water is available, which is a great advantage. It is also possible to increase the power of destruction of the spheres themselves by building up the chakra inside of them. The number of bullets is determined while kneading chakra. By taking advantage of gravity, the bullets can brutally increase in power. __

__(Shunshin no Jutsu)- Body Flicker Technique. Ninjutsu, D-Rank, Supplementary, All Range. The Body Flicker Technique is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalize the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination.__

__Character Stats:__

__Minato Namikaze- Ninjutsu: 5 / Taijutsu: 5 / Genjutsu: 3.5 / Speed: 5 / Strength: 3.5 / Intelligence: 5 / Stamina:5 / Hand Seals: 5 / Total: 37__

__Kakashi Hatake- __Ninjutsu: 5 / Taijutsu: 5 / Genjutsu: 4 / Speed: 4 / Strength: 3.5 / Intelligence: 4.5 / Stamina:3 / Hand Seals: 5 / Total: 34____

____(1). Akage means redhead in Japanese. It will be a nickname many characters will throw at Naruto.____


	3. So Long Academy, Promises to Keep!

_**The Hokage **_**_Initiative_**

_**Disclaimer : I do not in any form own Naruto.**_

_'Thoughts/Noises/ Battle sound effects.'_

_"Reading."_

_"Jutsu."_

**_"Very loud talking."_**

"Normal dialogue."

* * *

><p><em>'Don't know if these guys are taking it easy,'<em>

Naruto twirled himself into a corkscrew flip, soaring over his adversary effortlessly, and launched forward with all the momentum he could muster in mid-air. Naruto angled his body in a spear-like formation, and slammed his hand down on a clone's head with the full force of his body. White smoke erupted on impact from skull meeting concrete rooftop tiles. Blue eyes shifted from one corner to another of the makeshift sparring area, he counted eighteen more to go. In an effort to start the morning off right, Naruto decided it would be a great idea to use the rooftop of his apartment building as an taijutsu arena. His neighbors would beg to differ. The chainlink gates did well to keep his clones from being kicked out of 'bounds' to their death.

"Or I'm just stronger than I thought." Naruto chuckled and lightly scratched at the bridge of his nose, a goofy smile plastered on his face."Huh-"

A gang of clones tackled the Uzumaki to the ground and started a dog pile on top of him. The remaining clones followed and piled in where they could, some even wailed on Naruto with stomps and punches. They were kicking his ass as a team and added insult to injury by talking shit too.

**"Or maybe we're just better than you. Twenty of us is better than one you!"**

Resistance was getting him nowhere at the moment but Naruto had an idea, "Hey someone got the time?"

It was crazy enough that it just might work. One clone responded with a punch straight to the original's jaw, "Shut up dumbass, how stupid do you think we are?!"

That particular clone spoke too soon, "Umm it's 6:25 am boss." Another clone let his grip go slack when he checked the time. The other clones knew at that moment, they were fucked. "You dumbass!"

_'CLANNNNNNG!'_

**"Gahhh!"**

A brilliant explosion of azure chakra tossed the clones into the air like ragdolls. Naruto stood amidst the center of the flame-like aura, the wind kicked up dust around him while his chakra chains twisted and coiled with the wind. A feral grin stretched across his face, a small trail of blood pooled from the corner of his mouth- with but a mere whisper- "Disperse." The chains shot into the air and dashed through the clones. A resounding chain of _'poofs'_ followed the slaughter.

The chakra constructs returned to him and dispelled into nothingness once more. "Man what a close call, almost had to concede to- myselves? Myself? Me? Umm them? Yeah that sounds right." Naruto caught sight of the digital clock he had perched on a wooden crate. "6:27," the morning light was starting to fall upon the village and the sun was just now peaking over the Hokage monument.

Naruto placed a hand above his eyes, fighting the sunlight that stabbed at his vision. "What a view." Naruto leaned against the chainlink gate and looked over Konoha. "Guess I should shower up real quick, today's the day!"

Thoughtlessly a feral smirk spread across his features while the wind played with his down crimson hair, a collection of green leafs floated past him. His blue eyes sparked with excitement, _'Today's the day.. I'll make you proud mom, I promise'_

...

(Sasuke)

The sun was rising now, he had always especially admired the sun. The sun had an unspoken power about it, one that could not be questioned nor forgotten. It gave hope, it represented strength and rebirth. Something young Sasuke clearly resonated with, and undoubtedly respected. He looked at his own hand, observing the rays of sunlight that pierced the shade that the cherry blossom branches cast. He noticed how his tan skin was brightened by the energies of the sun, it benefited from the natural vitality that seemed to flow into him. Of course Sasuke was well aware that all creatures thrived from the sun's radiance, but he had felt especially affected by the energy.

_"You always did love to play outside, Sasuke-kun."_

There it was again, that voice, her voice. The Uchiha didn't bother to look, he knew it was just his mind and heart collectively fooling him. For the umpteenth time Sasuke yearned for the soft embrace of his mother, he peered over the steep valley that resided below. From under the comfort of a cherry blossom tree that had grown on a hillside, those dark eyes usually so full of life were dull and slightly puffy. Sasuke sighed and tugged at his dark spiky locks, his eyes scanned over the rows of tombstones that lined the grass valley. He could recall every name ingrained on every tombstone, even without the Sharingan. This was the Uchiha's land, their burying grounds. Well now his land in technicality and eventually where he would come to rest someday he assumed.

"It feels like it was just yesterday that I saw you," Sasuke hugged his knees to his chest, back rested against the tree. "Mother, this wasn't how things were supposed to go. I always envisioned that when I became a genin, you would be there to welcome me home with open arms. You would offer me my favorite snack, but I would insist I was too old for that kind of treatment. Which you would ignore and give it to me anyway, then you would go on and on about how proud you were-"

Sasuke chuckled aloud and smiled to himself with the image in mind, he blinked hard to fight back the wateriness in his eyes. "Mother, when you died I was left alone. No one was there for me like you were, and never could." He felt the warm liquid slide down his cheek, Kami how he hated crying.

"I miss you..." he rested his head against his folded knees, "I miss Itachi too..." He looked up once more, and recalled that it had now been four years since his mother died, and three since the massacre. Petals of the cherry blossom tree fluttered in the wind and glided down around him before flowing onward through the burial grounds, in that moment he felt something.

A sensation that he could not associate with anything he had ever felt before, nor could he describe. No actually he could, Sasuke looked to his hands once more. The morning sun rays were now stronger than those from just a moment earlier. They now burst through the blossom tree petals and illuminated his entire frame. He felt the sun, literally. But on some spiritual level that he couldn't quite comprehend he felt it as well.

Sasuke swiped away the residual wetness of his face, he refused to acknowledge them as tears, and looked to the Hokage monument. From the steep grassy hillside he could see past the compound walls and some of the larger village buildings including the academy. Sasuke straightened his black one-piece, put on his forehead protector, and set out for the shinobi academy.

_'I swear to my ancestors and fallen relatives, so you all may rest peaceful and to reclaim the honor of the Uchiha clan. Fugaku Uchiha will pay for his crimes against his brethren. Both Uchiha and Konohagakure alike. This I swear!'_

...

(Shinobi Academy)

Iruka Umino was a simple man. Well by civilian standards he was an highly trained warrior, but in the world of shinobi, he was a simple man. Though he would love to say he had a notorious career filled with amazing feats and earned a spot in the bingo books across the nations as an A-rank threat, that would be a big ass lie. Truth is, he graduated on time with slightly above average grades, but nothing special. He took the Chunin exams twice before he passed. He never officially made the rank of jōnin, but was promoted to tokubetsu jōnin due to his advanced nature in suiton-ninjutsu and nintaijutsu.

By the age of 18, he entered the Jōnin exams but was given a rude awakening as to just how inferior he was in the shinobi world. Due to personal issues Iruka was placed on leave until he seemed up to par to take on missions once more. Years later at the ripe age of 24, Iruka found himself nearing the end of his journey with his very first graduating class.

Iruka stood behind a podium, eyes scanning the faces of his graduates, and noted the various ways they wore their headbands. How he grew to care for them as if they were his own seed, and here he stood, barely prepared to send them off into their destinies. Iruka chuckled and wiped at his eyes as a precaution.

_'Geesh I hope I don't shed a tear or two, Naruto would never let me hear the end of it.'_

Noticing Sasuke slip into the seat next to Naruto, Iruka looked over the room and affirmed that everyone was present. Clearing his throat a bit audibly, his students fell silent and turned their eyes upon him.

"I want you all to know, as of today you are all shinobi. You have faced hardships and difficult trials to get here." Iruka spoke evenly in a flat tone without a hint of emotion. "And I can't put into words how proud I am of you all," His tone softened and a smile graced his face. "Not just as a teacher but also as a fellow comrade."

"But as your comrade and superior, I must tell you that what you have achieved is just the beginning." His smile vanished just as quick as it came. "What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only genin, first level shinobi. You all have a long way to go before you can be considered an elite shinobi. For this part of your journey into the shinobi world, you will not be alone."

Iruka noted the perfect silence and attention the genin exhibited, what a delightful change. "You all will be placed in three man cells, led by a jōnin." Lifting a sheet of paper for the genin to see, Iruka continued speaking. "I have here the squad assignments,"

Naruto looked toward Sasuke with a knowing look, to which Sasuke just shrugged and proceeded to ignore the Uzumaki. "But before I do so, I was informed that Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are to report to training field 13, by order of their jonin sensei..."

Iruka observed the note curiously, "Who also asked not to be named?.." He turned his inquisitive gaze upon the two genin in question, and saw his confusion reflected. Apparently this was news to them too.

"Well Naruto, Sasuke, It has been a pleasure being your instructor but it is time to part roads. But this goes to all of you as well," Iruka directed his pointer finger from one side of the room to another to emphasize. "You may all call upon me if you need me, my door is always open."

"Good luck boys," Iruka gave an informal salute and watched the boys leave his classroom for the very last time._ 'And please watch out for each other'._

...

(Naruto and Sasuke)

"Well that was a bit of a downer wasn't it?" Naruto quirked his lips while recalling everything Iruka had said. Sasuke calmly strode forward not really giving Naruto much attention, "Hey are you even listening to me?" Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Something was off about him today, he was moody, well way moodier than usual.

Sasuke slapped the hand away and glared harshly at him, "Don't touch me Naruto. Today's not the day." Sasuke crossed his arms and stalked ahead through the busy market streets of the Konoha market. Naruto stared questioningly at the back of his friend's back.

_'What's got his panties all in a bunch today?'_ Naruto's eyes drifted to the insignia on Sasuke's back. Naruto face-palmed for his obliviousness, Naruto whispered aloud to himself. "Fuck I'm such an idiot, I totally forgot."

Naruto's signature grin melted away into a dull frown, he stuffed his hands into his vest pockets, and followed after his companion. _'He really misses them,'_ Naruto stared ahead at Sasuke's back, once more his eyes fell upon the symbol of the Uchiha clan. _'I guess today was just another reminder of what he has lost. Or what was taken away.'_

Having cleared the distance of the market, the two were alone as they neared the training grounds. Naruto kept pace with Sasuke, they walked side by side in silence. They made their way through the forestry with nothing but the sounds of nature to fill the awkward silence, Naruto looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. Though trying to keep to himself Sasuke could clearly feel the eyes of his redheaded friend on him. Breaking through the foliage, the two made it into a vast clearing.

"Would you stop staring at me?" Sasuke met Naruto's stare full-on and looked mildly annoyed, but not entirely mad. Naruto merely placed his fist forward, and looked around bashfully.

"You know this isn't easy for me to say, but I'm sorry man, I can be pretty dense sometimes, ya'know?" Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Bros?"

Sasuke looked at the stupid grin plastered on the Uzumaki's face and then back to his fist, well at least the little turd was being understanding and not a total moron for once. A nice change of pace that Sasuke appreciated. "Well damn Sasuke are you just going to leave me hanging or what?!" Naruto clenched his other fist and teeth as he glared at his moody bastard of a rival.

Wordlessly Sasuke met Naruto's outstretched fist with his own, he smirked in response to Naruto's naturally impatient nature."Bros."

With the tension between them lifted, the two fresh genin took in their surroundings fully. Training ground 13 was one of the many training areas that shinobi of the Hidden Leaf used. Nothing about it was particularity special, save for the huge crystal clear pond that covered the entire other side of the field. Naruto took a seat in the grass, and rubbed his chin.

"I wonder why we were told to meet our sensei here?," Naruto asked no one in particular and continued to take in the surroundings. "More importantly why would our sensei insist that his identify remain hidden from us?" Naruto looked to Sasuke, who gave a noncommittal shrug, he was too busy scanning the grounds.

"I don't know, but I got this weird feeling. Like we're missing something." Naruto got back up to his feet and nodded in agreement. "Yeah I got that same vibe too. But I then I also got to thinking about something else."

"'Thinking' you say, I didn't know your people were capable of anything other than being annoying as hell and eating ramen." Sasuke quirked an eyebrow up in surprise. Naruto flipped Sasuke the bird, "Haha very funny, wise guy." A thoughtful frown was on his face as he continued to rub his chin, "But seriously isn't it normal to have an ongoing sense of scrutiny? I mean we're shinobi now. We deal death from the shadows, we steal, and most of all we keep secrets."

Sasuke hummed in agreement, he turned to his crimson haired pal. "And when did you get so smart?" Naruto grinned and scratched his whiskered cheek lightly, "Well I have been doing a bit more reading lately."

Sasuke snorted in response, but lost track of his sly retort when an remarkably white feather gently floated down in front of them. " What the hell? Naruto you saw that right?" Sasuke was suddenly hit with a sudden sense of sluggishness, he felt unreasonably tired. Naruto seemed to be in the same boat, falling ungracefully on his ass. "Yeah I saw that, but are you seeing this?" Naruto pointed to the sky, Sasuke followed his gaze.

A horde of the very same luminous feathers floated down surrounding them at an increasing rate, more seemed to fall by the second as they couldn't see an end to them. _'Shit! I'm too late..'_ Sasuke lost the feeling in his body and fell face first into the grass, losing consciousness.

"Sasuke..." Naruto tried to call out to him but his voice was nothing more than a whisper, he looked to the sky once more and could barely see the sun, the feathers continued to fall. _'What is this? Dammit I can't move!'_

Naruto fought a feeling that he could only associate with sleepiness, just times a thousand and on steroids. His eyelids became heavier and harder to keep open as each moment went by, black and blue spots danced across his vision. "Sleep Uzumaki Naruto, do not struggle." A deep voice filled the clearing but Naruto could not bring his body to move, he could only make out a pair of sandals.

Naruto willed his body to do something, a burning sensation fought against him but he managed to grasp the person's ankle. "I guess what they say about you Uzumaki's is true," The blunt end of a kunai struck the base of the back of Naruto's skull.

"Always apply the double tap method."

* * *

><p>Word Count: 3,064<p>

Hey guys, I know it has been a while, please forgive me! *Bows repeatedly* I am trying to get back in the groove of writing, and I realized that the key to gathering a massive following is consistent updates. So I will try harder to get that done, now that I am a college student I have more time yet none at the same time. So this was just a chapter to get something out there and get my creative thoughts rolling. Hope you guys liked it. I think this is my very first cliffhanger, yay for me!

Please tune in next time to see what happens on The Hokage Initiative!


	4. Getting Down to The Root of Things!

_**The Hokage **_**_Initiative_**

_**Disclaimer : I do not in any form own Naruto.**_

_'Thoughts/Noises/ Battle sound effects.'_

_"Reading."_

_"Jutsu."_

**_"Very loud talking."_**

"Normal dialogue."

* * *

><p>"Ah my head.." When Naruto came to, he was hit with an intense wave of nausea. After gathering his bearings, Naruto took in his surroundings. He noted the change of scenery, he sat in some kind of spacious cell. Stone walls and a small cot, which he laid upon, all closed off by a steel door, and dimly lit by a flickering bulb. <em>'How the hell did I get here?'<em> Then it hit him. Last thing he could recall was taking a blow to his skull before passing out, and then-

"Sasuke!" Naruto leaped to his feet and looked around frantically, instinctively he reached for his kunai holster, just to uselessly grasp his pant leg. The door groaned and was opened by a shadow-clad stranger. "You have finally awakened, Uzumaki Naruto," the figure stepped inside.

"Who are you?! What did you do with Sasuke?!" Naruto sneered at the figure, eyes scanned any movement from the shadow, he wasn't in the mood to be knocked out again. "Will you cool your jets, Naruto?"

A single red eyebrow arched up, he knew that voice, "Relax. I'm fine." From the shadows said subject of Naruto's concern appeared, Sasuke stood before him with a smug look on his face. Naruto looked him over, he seemed perfectly fine, but he had to be sure. His hand shot forward with all the speed of a muscle spasm. Only to be stopped by the iron grip of Sasuke's hand, blood red irises peered through a veil of dark hair.

"Did you just try to smack me?" Sasuke looked at Naruto incredulously and let go of the wrist. "I had to be sure it was really you," Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Wouldn't be smart to assume the first friendly face I see really is friendly."

"So who's your friend?" Naruto nudged his head at the person who stood by the door still. The figure stepped into the dim lighting and bowed to Naruto, "Forgive me Uzumaki Naruto, but my identity is not of any concern to you. I am merely a messenger."

"A messenger for who?" Sasuke scrutinized through Sharingan eyes, considering the obvious fact that they were still alive, Sasuke could only assume that the shinobi meant no harm to Naruto and himself. But still the shinobi hadn't dished out any information to them.

"I regret to inform you that I am not obligated to share that information. My commander awaits." The operative stepped back into the darkness of the hallway, "Please follow me."

Following the advancing form of the nameless shinobi, Naruto gathered what he could from their appearance. The dark halls were also made from the same stone that was used to construct the cell, old fashion torches lined the walls on both sides every few feet. Casting an haunting glow on the walls as their shadows marched alongside them.

By the look of them, this person was clearly anbu. Elite and well-disciplined. That was obvious just in the stiffness and damn near inhuman efficiency of them. He/She was clad in the attire typical of anbu operatives, save for this particular one seemed to wear some kind of body suit that covered their whole body, not even their hair was visible. "You're anbu right?"

"I am not under orders to share that information, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto would get something out of this guy. He noticed that the shinobi carried a ninja-to, "Can you at least tell me where you got your sword? You look like anbu, but you're clearly not with them."

The shinobi stopped suddenly, and turned their head over their shoulder. "What draws you to that conclusion Uzumaki Naruto?" Naruto looked on and imagined that behind that blank mask, he and the anbu were having a silent stare down.

"I may not know much. But I don't recall anbu ops wearing blank masks." Naruto leaned his head to the side, a condescending smirk on his face. "If my memory serves me well, I believe that you guys are identified by a specific codename which corresponds with your mask."

"You are correct Uzumaki Naruto," the shinobi turned from the two boys and walked ahead, just a little further up the corridor ended and led to what looked to be a much larger area. "So you're not anbu then?" Naruto called out to the retreating shinobi, but got no reply as they disappeared. Naruto looked to Sasuke, who seemed on edge as well, "I don't know what's up with this either. But yeah I agree this does seem sketchy. But at the same time what are our options?"

The blood-like hue of Sasuke's Sharingan stood out in the shadows of the corridor, "Just stay close." Mumbling a curse word under his breath, Naruto followed Sasuke. They entered a large chamber-like room and gawked at its vastness, it looked as if the place was hollowed out from an extremely deep hole in the earth. The ceiling was hidden within the infinite darkness, "Where are we?" Naruto's jaw dropped at the sight of the room- more like arena they stood in. "Underground I think," Three tomoes spun wildly in response to Sasuke trying to take in every detail, "I can't tell. My Sharingan is only seeing a dense mass of chakra above us."

"You are in the shadows of the leaf, you are in the very roots of Konohagakure child." Naruto and Sasuke looked around, not able to see anyone, until Sasuke pointed ahead. "There. I see someon-"

An overbearing gale tore forward, scarring the floor, and blasted them with concussive force. Naruto groaned as he fought the pain to sit upright."What the fuck was that?" A light tapping echoed through the chamber. "It is not polite to point Uchiha Sasuke." An elderly man emerged from the shadows, a cane in hand and stood before them. "Who the hell are yo-Owh!" Naruto received a whack to the head, he clenched his head and rolled around. "Gawwh what the hell is it with people and hitting me upside the head today?!"

"Language boy. It is unbecoming of a young man, whether civilian or shinobi to speak in such a way to an elder." The man before them was a frail, short, old man dressed in a white shirt and dark grey robes over the top of it, covering his feet to just over his right shoulder. His face was stern and heavily wrinkled with a 'x' shaped scar on his chin. Weirdly enough his face was heavily bandaged, wraps covered his forehead and the entirety of his right eye.

"I am Danzō Shimura, but you will refer to me as sensei." The elderly man tapped his cane with his one visible arm. An immense ice-cold chakra flooded the chamber and washed over the two boys in overbearing waves. "Now stand." He tapped the cane once more and the presence receded to a tolerable level.

"Do you two know why you are here?" Naruto looked like he was fixing his lips to say some smart-ass remark, but was silenced when Danzō narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You. Uzumaki Naruto," he then looked into the now normal eyes of Sasuke. "And you Uchiha Sasuke, have been chosen by Lord Hokage to participate in a highly confidential shinobi initiative."

Danzō paced back in forth in front of the two while he spoke, "He deemed you special, considered you talented, he even named you geniuses in your own right." He stopped and regarded them with a blank face, "I am not so impressed."

The old man tapped his cane harshly into the stone tiles of the ground, the tiles seemed to make up a circular floor plan. "Show me the 'genius' of this generation," Danzō spoke plainly despite the power and finality that seemed to be embedded in his tone. "Come at me children, or be deemed mediocre and expelled from the program."

Naruto's forehead wrinkled as his face split into a sinister smirk, "If you think we're going to let some old windbag tell us we're not good enough." Naruto launched forward with a fist cocked back and aimed for the elder, "You've got another thing coming, I'm going to beat the dust out of your old ass!"

Danzō blurred out of Naruto's sight, "Huh?"

"Again that mouth of yours needs to be corrected." Naruto looked over his shoulder in mid-air and saw the stoic face of the elder behind him."You're too slow and have poor judgement when initiating combat. A fatal combination, that can cost you your life." With but a swipe from his cane, Naruto was sent tumbling through the air.

_"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"_ Sasuke watched Danzō and the immediate area get peppered with volleys upon volleys of fireballs, kicking up a dust cloud. "The use of katon-ninjutsu, so typical of your people. Or at least it was." Sasuke growled in anger, he crouched and twirled with a shin aimed for Danzō's kidneys, only to be halted by the elder's cane.

"You enjoy the use of taijutsu, but what to do when you are faced against an overwhelmingly superior opponent?" Loudly huffing his nose through clenched teeth, Sasuke leaped backwards in retreat and sped through a chain of handseals while still midair. "Predictability is a dangerous habit to bring into a battle." Danzō spoke loud enough for Sasuke to hear him.

_"Katon: Gōkakyū no J-"_ Before Sasuke could even finish molding the chakra, Danzō waved his cane in a wiping formation, from it a burst of wind chakra formed. Powerful green waves of chakra slammed into Sasuke with the force of a brick wall and sent him soaring through the air. Naruto crashed into Sasuke, opposing his trajectory in mid-flight and grabbed him. "Got ya'!" They landed with a thud, and nearly fell to their knees. Naruto propped the Uchiha up as best as he could. They stood a good distance away from Danzō, and took a moment to get a breather. Naruto whispered to Sasuke, "Dude there's no way some old bastard with one arm can kick our asses like this."

"Are you done?" Danzō's croaky voice rang out easily and reverberated through the chamber, Sasuke stood up on his own and smirked. Cracking his neck and knuckles in unison, he cracked a smile. "Done?" He chuckled, the Sasuke Uchiha actually chuckled. "Naruto, he wants to know if we're done."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A legion of shadow clones flooded the chamber, and easily covered their entire half of the field. "Does that answer your question?" Sasuke's Sharingan spun menacingly. Danzō shook his head and limped his way to them, "Bravado and arrogance will get you nowhere, boy." The emphasis placed on 'boy' ticked Naruto off to no end, his left eye twitched and he clenched one of his fist.

"Let's take this old man down a few pegs!" Naruto rallied his clones, "Charge!" Naruto and his clones all converged on Danzō at once, said old man just continued his slow yet relaxed pace. Surrounding him and having numbers on their side, they felt pretty confident, so a few clones attacked . The old man struck out with his cane, harshly jabbing the throats of a small squad of them, a swift dispatch. The wind displacement from the beginning of a flying roundhouse caught his attention, wordlessly Danzō utilized _Kawarimi_, the roundhouse kick tragically collided with the face of an unsuspecting clone.

Swapping places with a clone to a less crowded part of the chamber, Danzō thoughtlessly tossed his cane at the head of a rushing clone, dispatching it on contact. He counted ten more making a move on him, like a shadow the elder blurred from sight and struck each clone with decisive blows. He rid himself of eight more in the blink of an eye. Danzō's one hand blurred through a long chain of handseals during the brief exchange. He then tapped his cane to the stone tiles. The very floor beneath the clones shook violently and fissured, a massive set of jaws made of earth snapped forth from the stone tiles and devoured a majority of the clones. The massive earth jaws returned from where they came, causing the surrounding floor to form a sinkhole, and pulled the remaining clones under piles of rubble. _'Doton: Retsudo Tenshō.'_ Danzō stood upon a raised platform of earth, just outside of ground zero of the rubble.

_'CLANNNG!'_

The rustling of chains caught his attention, "Take this you old bastard!" Naruto whipped his chains forward. They shot out and snaked around the pillar of earth smoothly, and squeezed until the pillar shattered from the pressure. Leaping from the falling pillar, Danzō landed lightly on his feet. The heavily bandaged elder felt a chakra signature try to meddle with his own chakra network. "Genjutsu? I was under the impression you were not as skilled in genjutsu as Itachi was. You are clearly not his equal in that field," Danzō stared into the rage-fueled Sharingan of Sasuke completely unfazed. "How dare you speak my brother's name!" Sasuke blurred forward as his hand caught fire with white-hot flames in mid-stride, "Don't you ever speak that name in my presence again!" Ducking under the swipe of the old man's cane, Sasuke entered his guard from below and struck.

_"Hōōken!"_

An explosion of white fire, overbearing heat, and blinding light followed Sasuke's attack. Naruto had to look away to avoid hurting his eyes. When the jutsu faded Sasuke stood before a blackened and heavily charred log, "What a destructive jutsu," Sasuke's brow raised in shock. _'Damn this old man.'_ "Yet it leaves you wide open when it fails." Sasuke spun desperately, a leaping backhand aimed for Danzō's temple. The blow was sidestepped and was followed by Sasuke receiving a forceful palm strike to his ribcage. The blow knocked the wind out of him and sent him bounding head over heels across the stone tiles. Instinctively Danzō shifted his feet and leaned his shoulders to the side, a flurry of azure chakra chains whipped through his previous position and crushed the stone tiles in its wake.

"The notorious chakra chains of the Uzumaki clan," said chains regrouped and raced after the old man on Naruto's mental command. "I wonder if you have realized the full scope of their uses yet?" Danzō dodged the chains with little to no effort, Naruto snarled in response and picked up the speed. He twirled the chains so fast and erratically, that they made a harsh screeching noise, and became damn near invisible to the eye. For every swipe, Naruto's chains tore through the stone tiles like paper. But he also spent considerable amounts of stamina keeping up the assault. Naruto's chains finally clattered to the ground heavily, he panted as beads of sweat ran down his forehead.

Danzō shook his head in what appeared to be disappointment and used his cane to lift the boy's chin, "Just as I suspected, you have more than enough chakra for all the genin of this village. Yet you lack discipline, even more so precision to put all that power to good use." Shifting the wooden cane quickly, the elder struck Naruto in the jaw with the cane. Driving the Uzumaki to slide unstably on his feet before he lost balance and fell over.

"This is the limit of Konoha's generation. How disappointing. This is what the Yondaime considered to be Hokage material, I have seen enough." Danzō turned and began to limp away, no longer interested in the Hokage's newest prospects. "You fail."

"Don't you turn your back on me!"

A stone was launched at the elder's head, only to be crumbled when he caught it in his one hand. Danzō looked at the two boys, unamused and possibly a little annoyed if the extra crease in his forehead was any indication. "A pebble? You threw at pebble at me, Uchiha." Sasuke matched Danzō's single eye with his Sharingan, "You said we had to prove our worth. Let us tell you when we're done."

Naruto spit a glob of blood out and run his tongue along his blood-stained teeth, "Like he said we're not done. Not by a long shot. You're gonna have to beat me into a coma if you want this to be over." Naruto tapped his fist against his chest.

"So you insist on continuing," Danzō looked to the boys and noticed despite their worn down appearance, they seemed determined to keep it up. "Give it your all then, children." Naruto formed three more clones and rushed Danzō with Sasuke at the rear for backup, Danzō shook his head once more, the two hadn't learned a thing. _'First the Uchiha will cover the Uzumaki's movements with katon-ninjutsu.'_ Danzō was duly prepared when Sasuke leaped ahead and used a clone's head as a launch pad to get airborne, he sped through a series of handseals and puffed his chest out.

_'Just as I thought.'_ Danzō gathered wind chakra with the aid of his cane, ready to bat the oncoming flames away, only to be caught off guard when a volley of medicine ball-sized water bullets rained down upon him. _"Suiton: Teppōdama!"_

Luckily for Danzō he was able to react in time and avoid the worst of the assault, but a few bullets hit home. Peering from behind the 'x' guard he formed to protect his vital organs, he looked a little pissed off. His dark hair dripped with water and his shirt sleeve was unceremoniously torn. Naruto's clones rushed in with their taijutsu, Danzō sidestepped one clone and flung it away by its vest. Another clone jumped forward with a right hook aimed for Danzō's face, only to feint and spin into a heel kick. Danzō caught the heel aimed for his bandaged jaw, _'The boy seems to be fighting smarter now. He tried going for a perceived blind spot. Good but still not enough.'_

Stomping down on the clone's chest, Danzō was confused when his foot sunk into the clone's chest. "Got ya' old man." Before Danzō could further comprehend the situation two more clones tackled his frame and merged together to form a green goo that spanned his entire upper body.

"What is this trickery?" Naruto looked on from a few feet away with a knowing smirk on his face, "A shinobi must expect the unexpected. Nothing is ever as it seems. If you knew so much about us and our moves, then you should have known about my sutikkī bunshins." Naruto smiled at the old man, and pointed to Sasuke, "Finish this."

Blurring through a long of hand seals that Danzō dejectedly recalled, _'So he has already begun copying jutsu, interesting.'_ Sasuke slammed his palms to the floor and flooded the technique with as much chakra as he could muster, "Let's see you get out of this. _Doton: Retsudo Tenshō!_" Supremely confident that he mirrored the technique's necessary chakra molding to a tee, Sasuke watched his first attempt at throwing an opponent's technique right back at them succeed. Just as with Danzō's version the ground trembled and cracked, but this time Sasuke's gave way to dragon-like set of jaws and snout. The earth construct was bigger than the jaws Danzō summoned, and quickly snapped shut around the elder.

"Checkmate." Sasuke smirked and snapped his fingers, on command the floor sunk in once more with the retreat of the jutsu. Naruto pumped a fist into the air, "We got that dusty old fart!" Suddenly clapping echoed through the chamber that was recently turned into a warzone, "You two sure know how to put on a show."

There among the wreckage of the area stood none other than the Yondaime himself, Minato Namikaze. "You passed the test." A familiar tapping echoed and a hoarse voice rang out. "They passed your test Yondaime-san, I have yet to be impressed." From the shadows Danzō materialized and stood beside the Hokage.

"How?!" Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "We defeated you." Naruto stated but seemed not so sure of the declaration at this point. Danzō raised a single eyebrow, "I was quite sure that even you would be able to comprehend Uzumaki Naruto, you are well-versed in the technique."

"Kage bushin..." Naruto wanted to slap his forehead, he really thought they proved themselves and bested the old man. The whole time they were just fighting a clone. Minato smiled and beckoned the two boys over, "You did well, Naruto and Sasuke." He nudged his head in Danzō's direction, "I know he doesn't look it but Danzō-sama was once a rival of the Sandaime and in his prime was nearly the Sandaime's equal, he may be old but he still has a few moves."

Danzō looked just as cold and detached as he did the entire time they were fighting him, "You are too kind Yondaime-san." Danzō spoke monotonously, which elicited a hearty chuckle from the blond kage. "You see he isn't so bad once you get past his grouchy exterior."

Minato clapped his hands together and channeled his chakra, the floor glowed with what Naruto recognized as seals. The seals were an illuminated green hue, and hummed like the sound of a hundred bees at once. "Activate." With but his vocal command and the power of his chakra fueling it, the area systematically pulled itself back together. The craters and sinkholes were restored to their normal state, the cracks and scars were filled in and vanished from sight. Within the span of thirty seconds tops, the area was fully restored and showed no signs of battle.

"Wow!" Naruto gawked at the Yondaime's fūinjutsu prowess. Sasuke looked pretty impressed as well, this was the shinobi art Naruto's clan was feared for. He would have to make sure he had an understanding of the art, so Naruto couldn't surprise him with some shit like that in a spar.

Minato turned starkly serious for a moment, he entered what Naruto dubbed the 'Hokage mode'. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha. You have shown yourselves to be of excellent quality as young genin straight out of the shinobi academy. I Minato Namikaze extend to you the opportunity to join the Hokage Initiative." Minato cracked a small smile, "Do you accept?"

"Yes," Naruto and Sasuke answered simultaneously, though with varying expressions, Naruto with a huge excited grin and Sasuke with a much smaller but still happy one. Danzō stepped forward before the two as the Hokage backed away, "And I Danzō Shimura have seen a glimpse of promise within you two." Naruto scrunched his face up in confusion, _'So he does like us?...'_

"I ,Danzō Shimura, extend admission into the Hokage Initiative to you, Uzumaki Naruto." He stared into Naruto's cobalt eyes and then turned his dark gaze to the Uchiha. "And to you Uchiha Sasuke."

"Do you accept?"

Once more the genin answered, but this time with a bit more professionalism. "Yes. We accept."

Nodding in response, Danzō stepped back once more and now Minato stood before them. Out of his 'Hokage mode' and smiling once more, he beamed at them. "Welcome to the Initiative boys, time to get you fitted for your suits."

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><p><em>Word Count: 4,089<em>

_Hey guys and welcome to chapter four of **"The Hokage Initiative".** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and also did you guys notice how fast I updated this time? This would definitely have to be a new record, only took me about six days. Please leave me a review guys, those really get me thinking and let me see that people are actually interested in reading this. So please leave me one guys, it would be very much appreciated. Sorry if you guys didn't like the fighting of this chapter, just know that things are going to keep progressing. And I will only improve!_

_So please join me next time for chapter five of **"The Hokage Initiative".**_


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